IMMIGRANT OF THE DAY: LEA SALONGA - BROADWAY DIVA

In 1989, when I was a 22 year old law student, I was in London talking to law firms about possibly working in that city. I happened to attend a show in previews in the West End by the name of Miss Saigon which was the follow up production from the creative team that created the musical Les Miserables. Miss Saigon was a pop update of the opera Madame Butterfly so I figured the show would have a good plot. And it did. But the most memorable part of the evening was the singing of the 18 year old Filipina star of the show, Lea Salonga.

Miss Salonga went on to star in the show on Broadway and then on to several other successful shows on the New York stage. She still maintains a strong connection to the Philippines and plays concerts there regularly. She is that country's pride and joy and Philippines President Gloria Arroyo made a point of catching Ms. Salonga in New York recently where she was starring in Les Miserable.

I've seen her in one of her performance...it was spectaculat and a standing ovation....what a great performance and can't wait to see her again in Les Miserables! She performed in NY recently but wasn't able to catch it...

Jun
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12-22-2007 03:50 PM

I've seen her in one of her performances...it was spectacular and a standing ovation....what a great performance and can't wait to see her again in Les Miserables! She performed in NY recently but wasn't able to catch it...

broadway nut
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01-31-2008 04:05 PM

she is awesome! try watching her concert and you will see what i mean.

Alexander
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02-01-2008 01:22 PM

How do you define an immigrant? Although I (being a patriotic American) certainly wish Lea Salonga qualified, I don't think she does.

Although she holds an immigrant visa, she has long since qualified for citizenship and has chosen not to seek it. To the contrary, she proudly affirms her identity as a Filipina, and she has chosen Manila as her home base (although she probably still has secondary residences in NY and LA). Although she married an American, he then took a job in the Philippines, and they're raising their daughter primarily there.

This isn't to say Salonga doesn't have some affection for the U.S. After 9/11, for example, she was photographed wearing a red, white and blue ribbon. But her native country remains her home, so I would not regard her as an immigrant.